WINTER HAVEN, Fla. -- A Winter Haven man was charged with murder, accused of fatally beating his 4-month-old daughter Christmas Day because he wanted a son, authorities said.

Marcos Gomez-Romero, 28, told investigators that he beat Ariana Rodriguez Romero to death because he wanted a son instead of a daughter, according to a Polk County Sheriff's Office report.

According to deputy interviews, Gomez-Romero said he became angry every time he saw the girl. He also said that abusing his daughter became a habit, a sheriff's report showed.

Gomez-Romero told deputies that he would slap his daughter on the ribs while she was sleeping, and the Medical Examiner's Office said the girl had dozens of rib fractures, a bruised liver and a hemorrhage in her left eye, according to the Polk County sheriff's report.

Gomez-Romero told investigators that the beatings had gone on for months, the sheriff's report stated.

"Murder is a brutal crime," Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said. "Detectives worked to ensure this murderer never has the chance to harm anyone else. He killed his own child because she was the wrong gender. His actions were beyond brutal. The only thing more horrific was his excuse."

Gomez-Romero was charged with first-degree murder and aggravated child abuse.

The girl's mother has not been charged.

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